Burial-vault.



F. E. ARNDT.

BURIAL VAULT.

APPLICATION FILED APRA, 1914.

l,l@4,604 Patented July 21, 1914.

Swann/ wom F EHPNDT @Hmm/mo THE MORRIS PETERS co.. PHOTCLL/THO.. WASHING rnN. DA G4 FRANKLIN E. ARNDT, OF GALION, OHIO.

BURIAL-VAULT.

Specification of -Letters Patent.

Application filed April 4, 1914. Serial No. 829,644.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN E. ARNDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Burial-Vaults, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in burial vaults and relates particularly to doors or closures therefor of the type designed to prevent surreptitious or unauthorized access to the interior of the vault after the door has once been placed in position and lockedc The invention has for one of its primary objects a very simple, durable, and efficient construction of device of this character, the parts of which may be very easily manufactured and assembled and not liable to get out of order.

A further object of the invention is a burial vault door embodying an improved construction and arrangement of locking devices whereby the locking arms or members will, in the operation of the locking devices, have imparted to them not only a movement in an outward or radial direction, but a rocking movement in a plane trans* verse to the outward or radial movement, so that said members will fulcrum upon the door frame and when moved to their operative positions, will not only serve to prevent the removal or detachment of the door, but will also serve to press the door tightly against the frame so as to produce a hermetically tight seal or joint. And the invention also aims to generally improve devices of this character so as to render them more useful and commercially desirable.

lVith these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements, and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full vunderstanding of the invention, referencefgifsfto be had to the following description and"y accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is an inner face view of a vault door constructed in accordance with my invention, the door being shown in place with the body portion of the vault in section; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the actuating device for the locking members.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and designated in all of the views by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates the bodyportion of a vault, the same being of any desired construction or design, within the purview of my invention, and 2 designates the closure or door. The door 2 is formed on its rear face and around its margin with any desired number of apertured ears 3 through which locking fingers l extend, said lingers being prefen ably beveled on their rear edges, as indicated at la whereby they will have a cam effect upon the door when they are forced into engagement with the inner ends of the apertured lugs 3 on the one hand and a bead or'flange 5 formed on the door frame, asclearly illustrated in Fig. 2. The fingers fr are preferably formed as integral parts of locking frames or members 6 of which there are four in the present instance, although it is to be understood `that the invention is not limited in this regard. Each of these frames `or locking members 6 is formed'with an inwardly extending stem or shank 7, said shank passing through and being guided by slotted lugs 8 formed on the rear face of the door 2. Revolubly mounted in the door 2 at the center thereof, is an operating device embodying a disk 9 and ay cone-shaped thimble 10 formed therewith and projecting rearwardly therefrom, the disk preferably bearing against the rear face of the door and the thimble 10, the larger end of which is rearmost, being formed on its outer surface with a spiral groove ll, the convolutions of which increase rearwardly in diameter, as is manifest. The said actuating device also includes a collar 12 which projects forwardly through an opening formed in the door and which is provided with a non-circular socket 13 for a wrench or crank handle, whereby the said actuating device may be turned. This socket is preferably closed by means of a screw cap 14:.

Preferably, coiled expansion springs 15 act against the locking members 6 with a tendency to move said members inward and to hold the inner ends of the shanks or stems at all times in proper position within the spiral groove, the springs being pref- Patented July 21, i914.

erably'lheld in placeby nipples 16 formed on the locking members and by lugs 17` the locking members when the latter are in their inoperative or withdrawn positions, said lugs acting bearings for ti members.

From theforegoing description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, the operation of my improved door or closure for burial vaults will be apparent. ln the practical use of the device, after the door has been placed in position, t-he actuating device is rotated in a direction to cause the inner ends of the -Shanks 7 of the locking members 6 to ride upon the gradually increasing spiral groove 11 formed in the outer surface of the cone-shaped thimble 10, this operation not only producing an outward movement of the locking members into engagement with the inner edge of the flange or bead 5 of the door frame, but also producing a rocking movement of the locking members, whereby they will act in the nature of levers with the bead 5 as the tulcrum and the inner ends of the apertured ears 3 as the parts directly acted upon, and consequently not onlywill the door be securely, prevented from being removed or detached, but it will be tightly pressed against the door frame and produce an air and water tight joint, particularly if a lead or other gasket or packing is-interposed between-the .door and the frame. This is one of the important features of myinvention and it will be at once seen that it is an advantageous result which is very readily accomplished.

ln order .to prevent the door from becomi ing unlocked after it has once been secured y in place,.the disk 9 is formed on its periph- VGenies lof this patent may be obtained for ery with ratchet teeth 19 designed for engagement by a spring pressed locking pawl 20. This pawl may beeasily held in the inoperative position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 so that the door locking devices may be easily manipulated until the .v time comes when it is desired to finally seal in the nature of supports or e outer ends of the-locking the vault.

While .the accompanying drawing illus-v trates what l believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes maybe made in the construction, arrangement, and proportions of thel parts, without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. f

What is vclaimed is z- 1. A vault door, a-plurality ot locking members movably mounted on the inner tace of ythe door, means for guiding the locking to the plane of the door, and simultaneouslytherewith, a Arocking movement in a plane transverse tothe plane of the door.

'in testimonywhereot' l aiiix my signature in presence of. two witnesses.

FRANKLIN E. ARNDT. Witnesses:

Gr. W. NionnLs, E. F. KLorP.

five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. C. i 

